Before the Game
by Perfume
Summary: Every game has a set of rules; every war has them too. An 'idea' of what happened when Pan never came back to Neverland.


**Author's Note:** I have never written anything for Hook fandom. But since most of the stories on here seem to not cover the events that took place before the movie Hook, I thought my story would be a welcome addition to the fold. If you enjoyed, please, click the review button. Thank You!

* * *

"We caught one, Capt'n!"

James Hook grinned. Brandishing his hook, he admired the curved, sharp steel. "Which one?" Often he had hoped to run the hook through the gut of the fat one, or slice across the faces of the twins. Any of them would do. He had missed the sight of blood.

"It's a new one," Smee said, gazing out through the doors of the Captain's quarters. "Not any of the normal little ones. This is an older one."

This intrigued Hook: a new lost boy? He did not know them by name, but he knew them by sight. It was so rare he came across any older children. Older children were more open of turning into pirates.

"How very interesting," he drawled. He gestured with his hand towards the wig, but Smee was already on his way to it. Gingerly plucking it from the wig stand, Smee placed it on the head of his captain. "He's a wild lookin' one. Then again, they're all wild."

"Filthy scum," Hook replied, hardly listening. Another reason he was interested in this boy was to figure out the location of Peter Pan. His mortal enemy had not shown his face in days. It was so unlike him. Not a day went by without some sort of taunt, interference, presence of the youth. To not experience not even a rumor of him was concerning and unsettling.

Smee helped him into his coat, and then went to get his sword. "No sight of Pan," Smee said hesitantly. "This could be a trap…"

"Do you really think a _trap_ is Pan's style?" Hook asked incredulously, allowing Smee to tie his sword belt on him. "I plan the traps, Pan acts on impulse. If anything, he would have heard word of one of his _men_ missing and come to his rescue. He did so with that Wendy brat."

"I don't know, maybe he's trying something new?" Smee ventured again, primping Hook with last minute touches. Hook waved him away impatiently. "Pan's actions have become so predictable over the years. He hates change as much as he hates those brats of his growing up", he replied, marching off towards the doors. Smee nodded along to this.

As they emerged outside, Hook looked down at his men, brandishing their swords at their capture. The lost boy was on his knees and all Hook could see was the mane of black and red hair. The boy then looked up at Hook, his eyes held a malicious glare. This boy was different, he had an air about him that did not exactly ring 'lost boy'.

"Welcome, welcome," Hook called down to the boy, "delighted to meet your acquaintance." When the boy said nothing, one of the men jabbed at him with his sword. Hook looked over to Smee, to which Smee pounded on the floor twice. A red carpet appeared on the top of each step to which Hook ascended down until he reached the main deck.

"Normally the boys are terrified of me," Hook said, speaking to Smee more so than the boy. "This one hardly flinches!" He guffawed. The men around him laughed. Hook then brandished a gun and shot the pirate that had poked the boy with the sword causing immediate silence. The pirate fell on the deck with a reverberating thump.

"I intend to be terrifying!" Hook bellowed. He pointed the gun in the boys face. "Does this frighten you, boy?" He expected the boy to brandish a sword by now. "Where is the boy's sword?" A pirate came forth with a sword in his hand. He noticed it immediately. That was Pan's sword!

"Where did you get this sword?" Hook asked. "Where is Pan?"

"Pan is gone," the boy responded. His words were hollow but Hook could sense a twinge of determination behind them.

"What do you mean _gone_?" Hook repeated.

"The Wendy girl," Smee repeated, coming down the stairs. "Remember, pan disappeared for a few days then."

"No," Hook said thoughtfully, "Pan was back before the week was out. The week is almost at an end and still he has not returned." He looked at the sword again. "Pan never leaves his sword behind." He looked down at the boy, taking in the boy's attire. He was dressed in blacks and reds to resemble that of his hair. He decorated his clothing with bones, as some sort of Indian chief would with feathers and beads. Not the normal attire of a lost boy at all…

"So," Hook asked, "where is Pan? Where has he gone?"

"I don't know," the boy responded.

"You're lying," Hook said quietly. He stepped away from the lost boy. "Come Peter!" He put away the gun and walked away, enticing the leader to come out of hiding. "I have your sword, your _man_; I am giving you a chance: face me and I'll let him go."

The moments stretched on longer than intended. Pan did not show. Everyone was glancing around in the skies, searching for a response to Hook's proposal. After a minute, Hook glanced to Smee, whose face echoed the confusion of his men. This had never happened before. In all the years he and his enemy had faced off against one another, never was there a moment when Pan or his crew did not appear.

Suddenly a twinkle of chimes and a bright light appeared before him. "Ah, Miss Bell," Hook said, slightly relieved. "Always a pleasure… Perhaps you can explain why your leader is absent?"

The pixie was hesitant as well to speak. "He's not coming."

"You bloomin' pixie," Smee cried. "The Capt'n asked 'why'. Hook held up a hand before Smee could continue. If there were two things he was not going to have: Smee shouting and his irritability with the pixie while he was irritable.

"I'm growing tired of this game," he said with a growl. "I will kill this boy if Pan does not show up."

"He won't because he is not returning to Neverland!" Tinkerbell cried.

Pan not returning? He looked down at the boy who sat there with a satisfied smirk on his face. Did this boy know this, too? "Pan always returns to Neverland… "

"He has chosen to grow up," she replied with a twinge of sadness.

And so here it was, from Pan's trusted advisor. Tinkerbell would never lie on account he knew exactly how to kill a pixie. No clapping could bring her back from the grave. "Who is this?" Hook asked with a point of his Hook. "Is he your new leader?" He was furious. How could Peter Pan escape him? Why, their fight was a battle to continue until one of them was to fall down dead. All Hook could see is that Peter was giving up, leaving him to suffer with the loss of a hand.

"Rufio isn't our leader," Tinkerbell said, which caused the boy to jump to his feet and grab Pan's sword. He held the sword high in the air. "I'm the Pan now." He lowered the blade to point at Hook.

"Rufio, no!" Tinkerbell cried, whizzing across the air to stand between him and Hook. Hook barked a laugh. "My quarrel is with Pan," Hook stated evenly, "even though this boy claims he is the _new_ Pan. He is not _the_ Pan."

"Fight me," Rufio shouted. "Fight me like the codfish you are!" He dove at Hook, but Hook was ready for him. He whipped out his sword and the two blades clashed instantly. Hearing the word _codfish_ sent Hook spinning – he wanted to strike this boy down, set an example for the Lost Boys and Tinkerbell. His men surrounded Rufio and dragged him away.

"The absence of Pan puts _you_ in charge in my eyes, Miss Bell… for now," Hook stated as he moved past his men and up the stairs. He glanced at Smee, irate that his first mate did not move a muscle during that entire fiasco. Nevertheless, he would deal with him later. "Escort _Rufio_ to the boat, make sure he's gagged. Then turn him loose at Mermaid Lagoon."

"Capt'n," Smee began but Hook brushed past him and into his quarters slamming the doors. Smee sucked in a breath and gazed down at Tinkerbell and Rufio. "You heard the Capt'n!" The pirates went about dragging the boy off the boat followed by Tinkerbell, flying slightly slower than usual.

* * *

"Capt'n," Smee called, slowly edging into the room. It had been hours since any of the crew had seen Hook. Smee was worried that the announcement of Pan not returning to Neverland would send Hook into an emotional coma. He had to check in on him, no matter if Hook wanted him in there or not.

"Capt'n", he called in a sing-song voice, spotting Hook seated at his desk, his eyes focused on the island where the Lost Boys were currently roaming free. "How are you feelin'?"

Hook did not reply. Smee moved closer to the desk and busied himself with cleaning up the liquor that was nearly empty in the glass pitcher.

"Well, you won Captain," Smee stated, trying to cheer Hook up. "Pan is gone from Neverland, the Lost Boys are leader-less, and you're still Capt'n of the Jolly Rodger!" Carrying the pitcher over to the bar area, he began to refill it. "I mean, Pan gone an' all that will be a relief." Smee listened for a reply, anything that Hook was ready to engage in conversation. Nothing came and the silence from his Captain dragged on.

Hook stood up from his chair. With a spin, he brought his hook down on the glossy finish of the desk. "I DIDN'T WIN! That insufferable boy! He wins, he always _wins_. He escapes me; he finds a way out of our _war_!" Hook looked up at Smee. "There is no surrender. There is death, Smee. Either one of us dies or both of us die, that's how it must end." He looked down at his hook. "How I longed to gut him like a fish with the very hook he so lovingly bestowed upon me. I came close to it, so very close… only to have him fly from my grasp. But now, the only thing I can gut is that crocodile!"

Smee went over to his Captain, his hands attending to his shoulders. "It's all right," he said soothingly. Hook shook free of him. "Maybe the pixie is wrong."

"She never lies," Hook replied, "she has always spoken true, no matter where her loyalties lie." Hook raised his hand to his temple. "This is giving me a headache," he muttered more to himself than Smee.

"There there," Smee said reproachfully, "maybe a nice sleep will do you good." He began to attend to bringing down the bed.

"No," Hook said, "I have to do something. I can't let him win. I have to show those boys that I'm still Neverland… I'm still _here_." He looked out through the window and towards the island. The sight of the smoke curling in the air from the Indian camp made him pause. In that moment, he knew what he had to do.

* * *

It was nightfall when the raid happened. Hook knew his way to the 'tree', the house built for Wendy. It was not long ago he crept in the dark of night to poison Peter. How fitting he would be reliving that moment again but with a new-found spirit of determination and adrenaline.

The Lost Boys did not see it coming until the last minute. They were unprepared and fled into the dark recesses of their 'land'. Hook did not care; he had his sights set on the tree: the meaning of everything that Pan ever held dear, the symbol that remained.

He held out his black gloved hand as a lit torch was pressed into it. Striding towards the tree, he looked upon the names inscribed. Sneering, he pressed the 'P' in Peter's name and the secret door opened slowly. When the door had finished its slow crawl, Hook carefully made his way down to the 'room'.

It was cozy, perhaps too cozy for his liking. Fashioned up with things only a child would pretend was equal to that of a _real_ home. Hook felt as though Peter was in here at this very moment, watching him, ready to strike. But he did not come, and when he did not show his face, he grew angry again and tossed the torch onto a makeshift bed. Hook turned on his heel and strode out.

His men stood watching him, wondering what was to be done now. He said nothing but strode past them, heading for the boat. The flames beginning to dance from out of the trunk and lighting up the branches like a beacon in the night. Maybe this would make Pan come _home_.

_And if it doesn't_, Hook thought, _I'll have to seek him out myself._


End file.
